Volo's Student's Guide to
Olympia
Olympia is a plane of great diversity, with lush plains and wide seas, noted for its architecture and drama. The major landmass is divided into two large regions. One, simply known as "Greece" is wide, and composed of a number of independent city-states. The larger, called "The Empire" is slightly more advanced in terms of military tactics and weapons, but not as focused on arts and culture.
Olympia is interesting, in that numerous portals and gateways give it the impression of being multilayered, like an Outer Plane, and certain related planes, such as Tartarus, the Elysian Fields, and such, are easily accessed through apparent caves and caverns.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
The Oracle: Popular tourist site. The Pythia, a mechanized fortune teller, offers sound advice and predictions, for a sizeable donation. Also, numerous street vendors and "I <3 Delphi" t-shirt stands.
DIVISION A SCHOOLS
The Academy at Athens
Athletic Nickname: the Heroes
Colors: Fig Green and Gold
Popular Majors: Fighter, Cleric
Alignment: unaligned
The Academy is a recent addition to the interplanar educational community.
Founded by a number of great heroes, with unexpected guidance by Sigil Prep
student, Penembre Erasilmus, the Academy is
just beginning to find its way into Division A athletics, although the natural
athletic skill of its students may make it a force to be reckoned with.
Academy Faculty
Aganippe (nymph Druid-20/Cleric-10):
Aganippe is a professor of druidic arts and nature-religions at Sigil Prep, and
is also the birth mother of Penembre Erasilmus and
Vander. She is native to one
of the layers of the plane Olympia, and had a brief affair with a half-fiendish
hero named Tyriphus, with whom she had Vander. Tyriphus did not stay with her,
however, and went on to become less heroic as the years went on. Fearing her
inability to properly raise the child, she gave him to the care of a monastery
of Heironeous on another plane.
Eventually, she met and fell for the hero Podalirius.
The two had many long years together, and together parented Penembre.
Eventually, though, when Penembre was still a baby, Podalirius went off to war,
and Aganippe again felt that a child raised by a nymph in the woods would not
have a proper childhood, so she sent her daughter to be raised by a friend,
Konstantine, at a temple to Hermes, promising she would reveal to the girl her
heritage when the time is right.
She kept an eye on both children growing up, and
eventually accepted a job at Sigil Prep teaching nature studies. She arranged
the scholarships for both her children, and toward the end of their first
semester at the school, revealed to Pembe and Vander the secrets of their pasts.
Aganippe remains a confidante of both her children, and
is a popular teacher among many druid and ranger students. She has
recently been reunited with both her former lovers, and may be falling for
Podalirius again. She is in the process of transferring her professorship
to the newly created Academy in Athens, in the plane of
Olympia.
Atalanta (human Ranger-23): Famous hero of ancient Greece, and athletic coach at the Academy.
Autolycus (human Rogue-22): Greatest thief in the plane of Olympia, and one of the founding professors of the new college in Olympia.
Hippocrates (human Healer-20/Hospitaler-5): The most famous doctor in Olympia, and one of the founding professors of the new college in Olympia.
Jason (human Fighter-15/Legendary Captain-10): Leader of the famed Argonauts, mightiest and largest band of adventurers in Olympia. He is also a founding professor of the new college forming on that material plane.
Midas (human Expert-12/Wizard (transmuter)-12): Obese, and table mannerless king. He helped fund the new school in Athens, founded by Pembe and Theseus. He used to be able to turn things into gold by touching them, but he's grown out of that. He's still the wealthiest man in Olympia.
Theseus (half-celestial human Fighter-22): One of the most famous warriors in the plane of Olympia, and founding member of the new College in Athens.
Comments: Observant viewers will note that the Academy is the only Division A school based in a plane that wasn't supported by WotC in 3e. It was founded and accredited in-character, and so has attained this unique status.
Notable Inhabitants of Olympia
Alex (human Expert-3): A crewman on the Triton, a ship on seas of Olympus, encountered during Pembe's journey to find her father. Alex was slain by a scyllian, but raised by Alecto.
Argolis (human Fighter-8): The captain of the ship, Triton, on one of the Olympian planes Penembre visited on her quest to find her father.
Barteus (human Fighter-10): A traveler mistaken for Perseus in Kokkonopolis, Pembe's home town. Everyone was sort of excited that Perseus was in town, but it wasn't him.
Calais (winged human Warrior-8): Olympian hero, Son of the wind, and member of the Argonauts.
Cassandra (gynosphinx): A freelance guardian working in Olympia, who guards various portals, gates, or roads, challenging passersby to riddles in order to pass. She is, however, quite bad at riddling.
Charon (unique yugoloth): The boatman of the River Styx. He thinks Pembe's hot, which is a testament to her hotness, since he isn't properly a sexual entity.
Chrodius (human Cleric-13): The High Priest of Hermes in the town of Kokkonopolis, where Penembre was raised.
The Graea (Annis hags): Three hags with prophetic powers, who've all gone blind and a little senile, and share one eye between them that allows them to see. They live on the plane of Olympia, and think Krusk is hot.
Laelaps (advanced paragon dog of legend): Legendary dog who always catches his prey, set upon the Teumessian Fox, who can't be caught. Just a little flavor of the plane of Olympia. I imagine they have one of those Ralph Wolf/Sam Sheepdog things going on, where they take lunch breaks together and stuff.
Phlegethon (disembodied spirit): A river in Hades, composed of fire. He's got a thing for the Styx, but it's not mutual. (Pembe's started talking to rivers. She's weird like that)
Tantalus (human Warrior-5): He's that guy in the Olympian Underworld who can't drink the water or reach the food, and so invented the word tantalize. Pretty nice guy if you're visiting Hades, but he's pretty frustrated.
Teumessian Fox (advanced paragon fox of legend): Fox who allegedly can't be caught, being chased eternally by Laelaps, a dog who always catches his prey. The Greeks were into paradox.
Typhon (um... oh, let's say, Fiendish Paragon Titan of Legend. Or something. Unique entity, maybe): The father of all monsters in Olympia, trapped under a volcano, from which he frequently hurls lava and hates deities. His kids try to free him from time to time, but really, they aren't that competent.
Organizations of Olympia
Children of Echidne: A group of monsters from Olympia, born of the monster Echidne, and (most of them) the other monster, Typhon. They're supposed to be in Tarterus, but they occasionally sneak out.
Children of Echidne members
Cerberus (three-headed advanced paragon titanic dog of legend): The gatekeeper of the realm of the deity Hades, and the only of the Children of Echidne with a lick of sense.
Chimaera (advanced paragon chimera of legend): One of the children of Echidne.
Ethon (advanced paragon giant eagle of legend): One of the Children of Echidne, especially fond of Titan liver.
Hydra (twelve-headed paragon hydra of legend): Dimwitted Child of Echidne, the first and most powerful hydra. He really likes upbeat dance music.
Orthus (advanced two-headed paragon worg of legend): Giant wolf, former pet of Geryon (who hasn't been seen in a while). One of the Children of Echidne.
Sphinx (advanced paragon gynosphinx of legend): One of the Children of Echidne, the first sphinx, and inventor of the riddle (she claims).